[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Just scored another review! Heck yeah!
Part One
~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 21Split It Fifty-Fifty
"Man, you really saved my neck, Hayato!"
Lunch break. At their usual secret hideout. Haruki kept whacking Hayato on the back, probably just to hide how embarrassed she was about this morning.
"Ow, ow! Take it easy, will you?! …Wait, what's that?"
"An inner cushion?"
As she said that, Haruki scrambled to pull out these small, plain white cushions without any covers from her bag. They'd been shoved in there so hard they were all squished, but now the two of them were slowly puffing back up.
"Yep, just some small ones without covers. Found 'em at the 💯-yen store. Well, they were 200 yen each, though. Here, this one's for you."
"Wait, how's it a 💯-Yen store if it costs 200 yen?! Oh, right, let me pay you back."
"Nah, don't worry about it. Let's just say you owe me. But, eh... ...I do have a tiny favor to ask…"
"Huh? What is it—whoa!"
Haruki clutched the cushion she was supposed to give Hayato against her chest, blushing and acting all fidgety as she crept closer, giving him that classic "upward glance." It was a totally cute, girly move. But you could see the mischief dancing in her eyes—she was obviously just messing with him.
Even though Hayato knew Haruki was just playing, she was still charming enough to make his heart skip a beat.
Hayato tried to play it cool by leaning back dramatically, but seeing that over-the-top reaction only made Haruki smirk. She started inching even closer, like she was going for the kill.
"I want... ...Hayato's…"
"Want—want what?!"
"Do you really want me to say it out loud…?"
"Ha—Haruki, seriously, you…"
When Haruki pushed him with those suggestive words while acting all shy, Hayato couldn't hide how rattled he was, even if he knew she was just teasing.
Like she knew exactly what she was doing, Haruki seductively pressed a finger to her lips, then softly traced the hand Hayato was using to hold his bag. A crazy shiver ran straight down his spine. Even those mischievous eyes locking onto him started to look borderline intoxicating. Giving up and realizing he was totally beat, Hayato swallowed hard.
"Hayato…"
"Haruki…"
―Gurgle-gurgle-growl.
"…"
"…"
Then, a massive stomach growl echoed through the room. Whatever "vibe" they had going on just a second ago vanished into thin air. Hayato looked at Haruki, who was burying her face in a cushion out of pure embarrassment, like he was looking at some poor, pathetic creature.
"I—I mean, I was totally running late this morning too! I didn't get to eat breakfast, and I couldn't even grab any lunch!"
"Sigh, seriously… …you owe me for this, okay? Fine, I'll split it with you, but we don't have extra chopsticks. I mean, lending you mine is a little…"
"Oh, it's cool. I've got some spare chopsticks from the convenience store just shoved in my bag."
"…I see."
Feeling a mix of slight disappointment and relief, Hayato started portioning out his lunch onto the lid of his bento box. For a boy in his prime who's always hungry, giving up half his lunch was rough, but he didn't really have a choice.
But more than that, something was bugging Hayato.
Back when they ran into each other at the supermarket, Haruki was stocking up on a ton of frozen food, and they'd met last night because she was headed to the convenience store for dinner. Plus, there was that pitch-black house Hayato saw when they said goodbye.
Beyond just Haruki's eating habits, Hayato couldn't help but imagine all sorts of not-so-great scenarios.
"Mmm~ this veggie-packed hamburg steak is killer. Did you make this too, Hayato?"
"Yeah, I made a huge batch the other day and froze 'em."
"Is something wrong with frozen foods? You had a really weird look on your face."
"Huh?"
It wasn't until Haruki pointed it out that Hayato realized his thoughts were written all over his face.
Right in front of Hayato was his childhood friend, the same girl he used to split those "buy one, get one" ice cream bars with.
They were splitting a meal just like they did back then, but Hayato had a scowl on his face. Haruki peeked at him with a hint of fear in her eyes, as if she was worried she'd done something wrong. She looked just like a kid scared of getting scolded.
"Sorry, I―"
"―I was just baffled, alright? Staying up all night just 'cause you were hyped—what the heck were you girls even talking about?"
"Hayato… …ah, ahaha, all sorts of stuff. Yeah, all sorts. Hime-chan is like a total expert on clothing brands and makeup, and since I didn't know anything, she basically gave me a lecture."
"Huh, that's a surprise. I mean, since you're going through all the trouble of 'mimicking' a boy like this, I just figured…"
"Well, I'm only playing the 'good girl' act, you know. Besides― ―even if…"
"…Haruki?"
"Gah! No, never mind, it's nothing!"
With that, Haruki forced a smile and brushed it off. It was a total "don't ask me about it" vibe. That flicker of darkness on her face was a dead ringer for what Hayato'd felt from her when they said goodbye last night.
(―That look doesn't suit you at all!)
To Hayato, Haruki had always been the mischievous, pushy, and insanely cheerful girl who looked best when she was smiling. Even after seven years, that hadn't changed.
But a seven-year gap is a long-ass time, and they'd both racked up a lot of baggage the other knew nothing about. There was this wall between the "Haruki" from back then and the Haruki standing here now.
Hayato didn't know the full story. It was probably something Haruki couldn't just blurt out to anyone.
Hayato got that, he really did… …which was exactly why he hesitated to poke his nose into Haruki's business.
Still, Hayato just had to let Haruki know he was worried—and more than anything, seeing her like that reminded him so much of Himeko back then. Before he knew it, he was aggressively tousling Haruki's hair.
"Wha—hey! Hayato, what the heck are you doing?!"
Haruki, totally caught off guard by the sudden move, started to protest. But the second she saw the look on Hayato's face, she went quiet—and just let him mess up the hair she spent so much time styling every morning.
And then, Hayato's face went through a whole range of awkward expressions.
Haruki's hair—which used to be short, prickly, and sun-damaged back in the day—felt totally different now. It was long, sleek, and felt just like silk tickling Hayato's fingertips.
"Haruki―"
―Are you okay?
―If anything's up, I'm all ears, alright?
―I'm right here for you…
A million things crossed Hayato's mind as he tried to speak, but none of them felt right, so he just let them slide. He was totally overthinking it, and the frustration was starting to kick in.
Seeing Hayato's face twist into all those weird expressions, Haruki let out a little giggle―
"Yeah,"
Haruki replied with just that one word.
To anyone else, it was a super short exchange. But for the two of them, it was more than enough to get the message across. For now, this was plenty. Haruki actually looked pretty satisfied.
"You've really changed, Hayato."
"…You think so?"
"Yeah. You've gotten way more cocky."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Aha, who knows?"
Up in the early summer sky outside the window, the same kind of wispy clouds from back then were drifting by.
The countryside and the big city. The years they spent apart. All the things that had changed, and that lingering frustration toward each other.
But even so, they laughed and shared the same things together, just like they always used to.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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